Will It Always Be Me?

. eight . ( flashback )

The night couldn't get any worse than it already had for Ivy. Not only did she just lose her friend Kazutora, but her mother just died in a car crash. Not to mention her birthday is 2 days from now.

What a terrible birthday it's going to be.

The white haired girl walked through the empty streets with tears continuously flowing down her face. No one would have noticed it though; a constant drizzle of rain was happening.

Step by step, Ivy started to feel weaker. She could barely hold herself up from the feeling of anguish that overtook her. With a loud splash, she collapsed to her knees in a large puddle that gathered on the sidewalk.

Her sobs echoed through the alleyway that was a few feet away from her. Unbeknownst to her, a boy with slicked up hair was watching her the whole time.

Sympathy wasn't something the boy could feel, nor was empathy. However, something about the way the girl looked drew him towards her. The closer he got, the more pitiful she seemed.

"Hey." The girl could feel a nudge of a foot on her leg. She slowly looked up to see a boy her age with the most bored look she's ever seen. "What do you want?" Ivy mumbled under her breath after turning her gaze away from the boy.

He didn't know what he wanted with the girl. His body had carried him over there before he had a chance to think about what to say and he's even more befuddled just from looking at the expression on her face.

"Shouldn't you be at home or something?" Once he spoke out the word 'home', Ivy shook with more sobs leaving the boy to almost feel bad for asking. "Can you at least get up? You'll catch a cold out here in the rain."

Ivy didn't make any moves to get up, prompting the boy to put his hands under her arms and lift her up. What surprised him even more is that the girl had turned and hugged him as soon as he picked her up.

"I'm sorry," Ivy sobbed, "Just please." Stiff would be an understatement. The boy wasn't used to hugs and affection, not to say that this was an affectionate moment. He didn't know what to do with the girl and was almost starting to regret even coming over.

"Come on. Let's get out of this rain." The boy had stated while pulling away from the girl. Before he could take two steps, she had grabbed his hand and laced their fingers. Raising an eyebrow but not saying anything else, the boy continued down the street towards an abandoned warehouse.

Seeing where the boy was leading her, Ivy became a little suspicious of his intentions. I mean for crying out loud, she doesn't even know the boy's name.

The feeling only deepened once she got inside the building. There were cobwebs everywhere. Dirt and grime covered the walls with multiple holes scattered across what is left of the roof.
The further he led her in, the darker it got and the more she started to feel on edge.

"Um, what's your name?" The boy looked back at Ivy as if she was stupid. "Shouldn't you have asked that at first? If I was trying to kidnap you, I'd have no problem with how easily you came with me."

He was right, Ivy knew it. She knew not to go anywhere with strangers. She had enough sense but with recent events, she's completely thrown off of her rocker. "Hanma. Hanma Shuji."

Finally getting to the back of the warehouse, Shuji led her into a closed off room with a lantern in it. Just by the looks of it, she could tell he had been living in it for quite some time.

Leading her to the makeshift pallet on the ground, Shuji pushed her to sit down. "Shuji?" He looked up at her with furrowed brows. Who was she to call him by his first name?

"Do you live here?" Ivy asked meekly. Blowing out a breath with puffed up cheeks, "I should be the one asking you questions. Like why were you just crying in the rain?"

She didn't want to tell him. She didn't know if she could physically tell him. Once she speaks the words out loud, that's when it'll actually be true. The loss in her life became permanent. It became a fact. "I don't really want to talk about it. I'm sorry."

He stared at the girl, "Then what's your name?"

"Ivy. Ivy Kurokawa." This is the first hint of a smile he's seen on the girl since he first saw her.

Days had turned into weeks and Ivy was still in the warehouse with Hanma. She never returned home that night and hadn't planned on ever going back.

As rude as the Hanma could be, Ivy stuck to his side like glue. Was it because he was a safe haven? Or maybe it was because he didn't bother to push for an answer. Granted, he wasn't a mushy person. If it didn't bring him a thrill, it might as well have been nonexistent.

However, something about the white haired girl peaked Hanma's interest. He never really could put a finger on it. But as time went on, he enjoyed her constant company and even started to grow a little crush on her. He'd never admit that out loud though.

Sticking with only meaningless flirting and teasing, their friendship remained stagnant with no movement towards anything more. Until she disappeared.

It had been almost two months since she had started living with Hanma. One day he woke up and she wasn't there. No note. No goodbye. He waited and waited, but she was gone without a trace.

But even so, he never forgot her and he was determined to find her again. No matter what.